Lazy Weekend Family Buffet Lunch

The spread

We all love to eat different things in our family. Pikelet, my five year old is more adventurous and three year old Lollo often needs coaxing to try something new. That’s why our lazy weekend buffet lunches are a favorite in the household. It is a presentation of all our favorite items and a few new ones in case someone wants to try something new.

Taste the Honey Dallas Food Swap – the new Stitch ‘n Bitch

The fabulous array of items!

Remember the Stitch ’n Bitch knitting craze in 1994 where flocks of young women wielding knitting needles gathered at fashionable cafes to chat and make fashionista ponchos? Check out this decade’s Stitch ’n Bitch – The Larder Swap! And Denise Bethel Molina of Honey Crew Granola & Darlene Rosen of Honey Girl Kitchen are the ladies heading the Dallas Taste the Honey Food Swappers.

IttyBittyFoodies celebrates 1 year

Lollo & Pikelet

Happy Birthday IttyBittyFoodies! It’s time to have a Birthday Month Celebration! A year ago, I didn’t know if I could write again after taking a hiatus from writing when Lollo was born. Well here we are on our 60th post and nominated for Babble’s Top 100 Mom Food Blogs (please vote here under Cheryl Collett), named one of Dallas Best Blogs on Wherelocalseat.com and was featured on TinyDallas under Moms We Love.

Pikelet is about to turn 6 and Lollo is now 3.

‘Royal’ Meringue Mousse with lychees & summer berries

We didn’t get our royal invite but IttyBittyFoodies are celebrating the Royal Wedding of Prince William & Kate Middleton all the same with our own Royal No Bake Meringue Mousse.  Pikelet my 5 yr old made up this surprisingly elegant Lychee Meringue Mousse recipe for the Princess Bride who dressed in an elegant Alexander McQueen gown. It’s his first recipe and the results are light, airy and naturally sweet, just like the Royal nuptials.

Babble.com Top 100 Mom Food Blogs 2011 – VOTE for IttyBittyFoodies

I’m gushing a little. Maybe not as much as Sally Field in her famous Oscar “You like me” acceptance speech in the 1984 for her role as Norma Rae. I haven’t won anything but I am excited to announce that IttyBittyFoodies is in Babble’s nomination list for Top 100 Mom Food Blogs for 2011.

So please ‘LIKE’ me and vote by clicking on the link here. Just click on view ALPHABETICALLY and search for CHERYL COLLETT of IttyBittyFoodies.

Thank you for supporting IttyBittyFoodies and please share the site using the buttons below with likeminded & very cool (like you) parents.

Belly full of whale cakes – easy salmon cakes with green beans & bacon

Pikelet & Lollo eat salmon cakes because of the book “Big Blue Whale” by Nicola Davies. They call them ‘whale cakes’ and eat loads because thought of having stinky ‘whale’ breath is an attractive trait when you are five and three years old.

“When it breathes out, it makes a great misty puff as high as a house. This is the whale’s blow, and you can see it from far away. You can hear it, too – a great PROOUFF. And if you are close enough, you can smell it, as the whale’s breath is stale and fishy.”

A fair dinkum Aussie Meat Pie here in the US

Australia Day is coming up January 26th and we often have a little hankering of something from our home. We celebrate Australia Day much like what Americans do for Independence Day – it’s a public holiday so we spend it with our family, have a bbq in the backyard, watch the sports (yes it’s universal) and then watch the fireworks. But since it’s cold in the US in January, we’re opting for winter food – a good old fashioned Aussie meatpie , made with minced beef and gravy, topped with a dollop of tomato sauce (aka ketchup here in the US).

Aussie Meat Pie

My favorite Australian pie shop is Australian Bakery Cafe.

Last minute Santa Cookie – it’s a no bake!

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If you’re looking for a quick recipe or Santa craft idea for kids, my friend, Stacie Martin has the perfect no bake Santa cookie recipe. And you don’t even have to have an artist in the family like Stacie’s husband Christopher of Christopher Martin Gallery to make them look this cute!

Holiday Party Idea – Tom Colicchio’s braised short ribs

Stunning results!

So done with turkey? Then try celebrity Chef Tom Colicchio’s (of Craft restaurant at the W Hotel in Victory Park) braised short ribs recipe. The results from this succulent fall-off-the-bone recipe is guranteed to garner ’oohs and aahs’ at the dinner table even from the most discerning itty bitty guest.

Thanksgiving at every meal

Many happy meals are eaten off these dishes

We have one set of dishes in our house. I remembered buying them 5 years ago and how ‘grown up’ we felt to have a ‘proper’ set of dishes. It was bought from one of our favorite lifestyle design companies, notNeutral. Beefcake and I discussed whether we should still keep our old hodge podge set and keep these as our ‘good’ dishes for special occasions, afterall… what if we *gasp* broke one? In the end, we did away with the old set and decided enjoy them on a daily basis and see what happens. Today, as I look at them, the dishes are like a metaphor on how we aim to live our lives.

Thanksgiving idea – Turkey Lurkey Fruit plate

 

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Honeycrisp apples are in season now! A cross between a Macoun and Honeygold apple, we first discovered this tart and sweet crispy gem when we lived next door to Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington.  The apples burst with flavor and Pikelet & Lollo  have aptly named their favorite breakfast apple, “The Big crunch!”

8 Ball Squash

8 Ball Squash

… the cutest little zucchini in the world!  They’re round and the size of a billiard ball – thus the name 8 ball squash. They are so darn cute, it’s almost a pity to cook them. But here’s a delicious recipe for you to try with your kids. Pikelet & Lollo liked to play with them more than eat them but the squash did looked good enough to try (which is all a parent can ask for). It’s a wonderful Fall accompaniment especially with grilled Lamb Rib Chops.

Boo! To Halloween Pancakes!

Halloween Pancakes

Everybody loves pancakes and they are easy enough to make. This month we’ve been experimenting with Halloween faces and letting  our itty bitty foodies, Pikelet & Lollo, decorate their pancake with fruit. What a fun and healthy way to add more fruit to their diets!

Jamie Oliver’s Pork Belly at home

Pork belly has been trendy for a quite some time with upmarket restaurants. I’ve had it recently at The French Room, Bijoux restaurant and Charlie Palmer at The Joule. So when I spotted it at the Whole Foods on Park Lane a few days ago, I immediately bought six lbs (cut up and packaged in 1lb packs).

Peaches – Get ‘em before they’re gone

From Lemley's @ Dallas Farmers Market

 

We’re peach fanatics at this household. We love them naked or dressed with a little honey and mascarpone or accessorized with a generous dollop of yogurt.

If you’d ever wanted to try Chinese cooking at home, stay tuned…

I’ve just won the lottery! Not really but close!

When you happen to have octopus tentacles in the fridge…

Octopus tentacles - dinner and a new toy...

 

Yes folks. You read it right. Octopus tentacles are what Pikelet and Lollo chose from the seafood counter at Central Market today. Why not I thought. It would be fun. So what next?

What’s ‘Home Made’ at your home?

I’ve added a section called ‘Home Made’. It will document my blogging journey as I’m ‘making’ this blog at home as well as recipes and sometimes… disasters that I try at home with Pikelet & Lollo. I’d love to hear from readers what they’ve been cooking at home for their own itty bitty foodies.

So tell me… what did you have for dinner this week?